Leopold had missed nine games with an upper-body injury. Interim coach Ron Rolston had said following the morning skate he was looking forward to having Leopold in the lineup for the first time since he replaced Lindy Ruff behind the Sabres' bench. Leopold was injured in practice the same day Ruff was fired.

"It'll be good back there," Rolston said of Leopold. "He's a good puck-mover, and that's what we've been emphasizing form our defense corps. He'll be one of those guys that can get us out of our zone. … He can be a player that can really be a difference-maker back there on the blue line."

To make room on the roster, the Sabres announced defenseman Adam Pardy had been sent to Rochester of the American Hockey League. Pardy had one assist, a plus-2 rating and 10 penalty minutes in five games this season. He had been a healthy scratch the previous two games.